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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Well, I will admit that I did force my son to play sports, year round (basketball, lacrosse, and flag). First year I invested a ton of money in lax gear. He hated it. He hated it because he was not as good as many of the other kids. He hated it because he was not as coordinated and the sport is very technical. He would sometimes cry on the way to games.  He ended up loving lacrosse and made the travel team. the first summer of travel he fractured his toe. He was crying and crying that he could not play lax for a few weeks. He then was laughing at himself that he used to wish he would break his leg so he did not have to play.

Similar thing happened when he started basketball. He actually cried in the middle of the game beucase he kept on double dribbling and getting calls made on him. He had one game where he was on fire and scored. Ever since then his confidence went through the roof.

The reason I forced him is because I knew the ONLY reason he did not want to do the sports is because he lacked confidence and felt like he did not measure up. As he practiced and got better, he gained his confidence and now would be devastated if I made him opt out. I would not have forced him had he had other interests that took priority. I knew in my heart that he just needed to build his abilities and then he would be OK.

I'm not saying this is for everyone, but for me, as a parent, I will not nurture my kids fears and insecurities. I'm all about building confidence through accomplishments (not just by words and a "good job") and through them working hard and being proud of what they have done on their own. I think the sports and stick with it has served my formerly shy and insecure son well and helped turn him into a confident and proud young man.[/quote]

This is a great example of how each situation is unique.  it worked for this poster, but could easily have backfired and resulted in a frustrated and angry child.  I think it is part knowing your kid as a parent, but also (maybe more so) luck.[/quote]

+1  This approach works for some kids but absolutely would not work with my DD.  We encouraged her to be active outside of team sports, brought her along to DS's games so she knew what they were about, sent her to camps that included some sports along with other activities, but never told her she HAD TO play a sport.  She finally expressed interest in 4th grade and we went with it then (individual, not team).  She's a kid who if we'd forced her to go to soccer in 1st grade would have stood on the sidelines and absolutely refused to participate.  Why do that to her or to the coach.  [/quote]

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